I took a deep breath. It was right to send Hades back. And to bring Altair and his party. Then we would be more than capable of confronting the demon king.
“You were here.”
I snapped to attention. Iscariel’s soft voice reached my ears. I quickly exited the tapestry. Iscariel looked at me with a satisfied smile, as if a cat who had just eaten a lot.
“I was worried you might go outside the palace, but luckily, you’re easy to find.”
My mouth was dry. Could I even go outside the palace?
“Where is the Duke?”
Iscariel shrugged.
“I don’t know either. Someone interfered with our movement… I just followed the traces of my old divine power infused in the Holy Lady. Otherwise, even finding you would have been difficult.”
I lowered my head.
“There must be some way. We have to find Hades.”
Iscariel’s brows narrowed.
“Why?”
“…Excuse me?”
I doubted my ears. Why? Wasn’t the reason obvious? We were three people using the teleportation stone, and now one is left behind. Of course, we have to find that person as well.
“I originally planned to come here with only my cute granddaughter. The impurities that intervened, aren’t they unnecessary?”
No way.
I stared at Iscariel, dumbfounded. Iscariel, a cleric, shouldn’t be skilled at magic.
But she was the archcleric who had lived for at least a few hundred years. It wouldn’t be surprising if she was also a grand mage.
‘…If she purposely left Hades behind.’
As if reading my thoughts, Iscariel chuckled.
“I didn’t do such a thing, so don’t worry.”
“…If you didn’t intentionally leave Hades behind, then please find him.”
Iscariel looked at me with a curious expression.
“Are you worried about the Duke, Angelica?”
“Yes.”
How could I not be? Given Hades Croitner’s temperament, it wouldn’t be surprising if he tore down the palace as soon as he realized I wasn’t there.
If it seemed like I was worried about something else, that was a misunderstanding.
“Also, without Hades, there’s nothing we can do.”
Iscariel snorted.
“You mean defeating the demon king? I can handle that alone.”
“…Excuse me?”
I doubted my ears. The Demon King was the final boss of Leodel. He was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
If Iscariel truly had no intentions of defeating the Demon King, then it would be mere posturing, but if he were sincere…
‘Who is this man?’
Replaying a game multiple times means you almost memorize the game’s settings and story.
However, there was little that came to mind regarding Iscariel’s identity. A Grand Chamberlain who had maintained his youth for a long time, trusted by the Emperor. Of course, he would be strong, but there was no opportunity to confirm this since he was neither an enemy nor an ally of the protagonist.
“Weren’t you eager to see the First Princess? Why hide behind this tattered curtain?”
My face flushed. It seemed Iscariel had been watching me hide behind the tapestry, startled by the Princess’s arrival.
“Stepping out right now would only label me as a suspicious intruder.”
I quickly responded.
“Since the Grand Chamberlain, who could vouch for me, is nowhere to be seen, I thought it best to stay hidden.”
The Grand Chamberlain nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Good, then. Now that I am here, let’s go see the Princess.”
“Now?”
I could only be bewildered. The Princess I saw moments ago was furious, and that was because of Hades. And now a Donovan appears in front of her? It would fully ignite her fury.
“Yes, we must go now.”
Iscariel messed up my hair. It felt odd. It was truly an action a grandfather would take toward his granddaughter.
“If not, your beloved Duke Donovan will be in a tight spot.”
“…Beloved, you say?”
My voice involuntarily shook.
“Between His Grace and me, there’s nothing—”
“First it was Hades, now it’s His Grace?”
Iscariel chuckled.
“In any case, we are short on time. By now, the Princess is likely forcibly taking a teleportation stone from some poor mage.”
(This is a time separator.)
‘…That damned old man.’
Upon arriving in the Empire after the teleportation, what Hades felt was anger.
Not even in the royal palace but outside the capital.
Entering the Empire’s capital required complicated procedures, so without proving one’s identity, one couldn’t walk in confidently.
‘…And nothing good would come from people knowing I am here.’
Rumors spread quickly. The moment it became known that Duke Donovan entered the capital without a single follower, middlemen would target both him and Donovan.
‘There’s only one way.’
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
